Vegan Chicken Pot Pie with a Flaky Phyllo Crust

Everybody needs a little comfort now and then. Especially when the government shuts down. Actually, I didn’t really know what a government shutdown meant or how it started until I found sites that were basically “government shutdown” for dummies. Um, is it just me or does this feel like a squabble between parents that only makes the kids suffer?

This vegan chicken pot pie is comfort food to the max and despite the scary phyllo crust is easy to put together. The more I work with phyllo, the more I love it and realize how forgiving it is despite how much it folds and cracks when I’m assembling it. Oh government, you could learn a thing or two from phyllo.

The phyllo dough (inspired by Ina Garten) makes a crispy yet light buttery crust for the creamy inside which is filled with onions, carrots, peas, thyme and tarragon. For the chicken I used the lightly seasoned Beyond Meat chicken-free strips (which we stocked up on when they were 2 for $5 recently).

I was worried that I would have too much filling for the pan when I made this but it was just enough. There’s room to add more peas, carrots and/or chicken-free strips (or tofu) if you want it really full.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. Sautee the garlic, onions and carrots in a little oil on medium heat. When the carrots are mostly tender (~8 minutes) add in the peas and Beyond Meat chicken-free cubes and toss with a little salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now onto the sauce, which starts with a mini-roux to make it thick. Using a whisk, melt the butter with the chickpea flour in pot over medium-low heat. It will be super clumpy and thick, but keep whisking until the butter and flour are incorporated well into a paste. Then slowly whisk in the almond milk. Add the chicken-free broth, thyme, tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Continue whisking over low heat until the mixture simmers and thickens. Stir this mixture into the set-aside sauteed veggies and chicken-free cubes.

Place one sheet of phyllo in the pan and brush with butter. The edges will hang out. Layer another sheet down alternating how it is placed and brush with butter. Continue until all sheets are used. Pour filling in the middle. Fold the hangy off phyllo edges into the center of the pan and brush the top with butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375F. Crust should be golden.

Let cool a little before digging in.

Perhaps I should send some to congress. It’s hard to argue when you have delicious food in your mouth.

**Pressed tofu cubes can replace the chicken-free strips, though I would increase the amount of seasoning if I used tofu and probably saute the tofu separately before adding to the veggies to get a nice crispy outside on it.

What foods make you feel like you’re getting a giant comforting hug on the inside?

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80 thoughts on “Vegan Chicken Pot Pie with a Flaky Phyllo Crust”

This looks so dang good and comforting! I’ve always been nervous about working with phyllo dough too, but it looks like I need to get over it.

P.S. I had no clue what the government shutdown was either until I found what I’m assuming were the same sites you found. And Buzzfeed had a Ferris Bueller sort of explanation too and that kinda helped.

Thanks Kristy! I guess everyone has that “thing” that intimidates them in the kitchen. I actually have a lot or maybe it’s just me being lazy. But regular dough scares the crap outta me with all the yeast and the rising. But I guess with practice, anything gets easier. It’s getting over that first initial hump.

I’m going to have to check out this Ferris Bueller Buzzfeed thing you speak of just because it sounds entertaining!

Oh my goodness, you are a stinking genius! Oh man, you guys need to start listening to NPR. Stay informed! Of course, I guess I watch the news in the morning and after work as well….and NPR on the way to work. Gah! The news is everywhere!

Aw, thanks Katie! LOL, you’re totally right. I need to get back into listening to NPR. I used to listen to it on my way to and from work but since I started telecommuting I just kinda haven’t. Definitely gonna start up again!

I don’t even know what a government shutdown means either, fill me the information! I was thinking about having some vegan mock chicken pot pie the other day – and I even had a dream about them. I was sitting in a random house in Pennsylvania, upstairs on a second floor, waiting for my pot pies. I could hear Elsa barking, looking at me, with a happy face. And I realized she was gone and I looked at my pot pies with content. She died of lymphoma when I was 18, I wasn’t there. I was too far. I didn’t even have the chance to see her grave or her passing.

It was one of my favorite childhood meals, my mother would bake two of them for me and my younger brother in the small microwave oven before heading off to work and I ate it as quickly as possible. My brother hated these sorts of pies, and said it was greasy (haha, he has a thing for greasy foods) and I would finish his pot pie. I love a bit of peas, carrots, and potatoes in my pie. Isn’t Phyllo dough amazing? You can make it into anything else from pizzas to even “empanadas.” Ah, I still have the lightly seasoned Beyond Meat chicken-free strips in the freezer back home in Oregon, I can’t wait to use them. I used them in my “chicken” noodle soup once after my heartbreak with a stray I rescued (he was injured, skinny, and spraying all over). I thought the Beyond Meat chicken-free strips work pretty well in moist and wet dishes (e.g., chicken-free salad, etc.), but not in fried, baked or sautéed dishes. Beautiful photos, Ketty, I would love to have some of it! I need to make it when I get home!

To answer your question, this vegan chicken pot pie and mac and cheeze are my comfort foods! Have a great week.

Rika, your story about Elsa brought tears to my eyes. I can empathize because I wasn’t able to be there when our family pup Penny passed on. She was really old and one day she just left. My mom searched everywhere for her but she never came home. It is our theory that she left to die alone. At least we are able to have good memories of our fur family.

I agree about the Beyond Meat strips. I have eaten them on salads and in stir fry but they are a little dry if not cooked with enough moisture. And yes, phyllo dough is pretty awesome!

I love a nice hot bowl of spicy chana dal with tomato and coconut, or custard made with Bird’s custard powder and soya milk! This pie is such a great idea- ?I shall have a go at vegan-ising it. I might use seitan for the “chicken” too. Thanks for this post

Hahah “the government could learn a thing from phyllo” <– love it. So true. And I love THIS! I've been wanting to make a veg pot pie for ages…using chickpea flour to thicken up the sauce is so brilliant. I am definitely going to try that!

Okay, seriously, how are your reading my mind? I literally have a Google search in the next tab of my browser for “vegan pot pie recipes.” I’m floored by how perfect and serendipitous this is. Clearly, it’s a sign that I need to start this thing cooking, ASAP.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I use Earth Balance for my “butter” which is in fact vegan. I sometimes just assume that people know when I mention something that sounds non-vegan, I am using the vegan version of it. Plus I get tired of putting things in quotes sometimes or using the word vegan before it like —- vegan cheese or “chicken”. I guess I should be more mindful of that or add something to my about me section. Thanks for the heads up!

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. I use the Organic White Wheat phyllo dough of this brand: http://www.aunttrudys.com/ . I am able to pick this up at my local farmer’s market in the freezer section. But I have a feeling that they probably sell these at Whole Foods too. I would check the “local retailers” tab on the website to see where they sell it near you. Hope this helps!

Thanks so much for making it! And I’m glad that you enjoy it. We have the same problem. We try to make it last for leftovers and what not but yeah, an 8-inch round pan of this dish usually goes fast in this house of just two.

Would love to try this! To make this recipe truly vegan the phyllo would need to be made with some type of vegetable butter. Do you have a recipe for vegan fillo? (I haven’t been able to find Phyllo without butter)Thanks!

Awesome! The phyllo dough I use is premade and vegan. I can’t imagine making phyllo from scratch. I’m sure it’s possible, but I am not one of those people who will do that…I kinda adhere to the “ain’t nobody got time for dat” mantra pretty closely

I found it in the freezer section of my local Farmer’s Market. If you go to their “local retailers” tab, you can search if they sell it near you. I wanna say that I’ve seen it at Whole Foods too but I’m not sure.

I don’t know if there is a good vegan recipe for making phyllo dough from scratch because I’ve never looked for one. I think it would be challenging to get the sheets really thin though. If you find something, I’d love if you shared it.

Hi! I did make a few alterations. I was going to use tofu instead of the chicken substitute but come to find out my tofu was a bit expired (opps). So I substituted 3/4 of a potato in. I put it in the sauté pan about 4 min in to the carrot, onion, garlic mixture. I didn’t have any garbanzo bean flour so I used brown rice flour instead. I am not savvy with the difference in tastes between flours but the sauce came out perfectly thick and tasty. Lastly I used a glass casserole (Pyrex type) dish. The dough didn’t get as crispy on the bottom but it was still nice and crisp on the top and sides. Thank you so much once a again. I tripled the recipe for Thanksgiving and it was such a hit!!

This looks amazing! I was wondering if you had a suggestion for replacing the garlic with another flavor? I just hate the taste of garlic (an unpopular opinion for sure!) I ususally just omit garlic but I figured I’d see if you had any suggestions!

Thank you so much! My first thought to replace the garlic was to use shallots…but those are basically like onion and garlic mixed together :-). Other than that, I can’t think of a replacement. If I omitted the garlic I would just amp up the other herbs like the thyme or tarragon. Or maybe even experiment with another herb like rosemary. In any case, garlic is not a key component to this dish. I just really love garlic so I usually put it in everything ;-). I hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to make it.

Hi! I don’t have a lot of experience with baking with coconut oil so I can’t answer with certainty. My guess is that it would be fine since there are actually a lot of vegan butters out there that are predominantly coconut oil. Maybe just use a little less (?) and keep an eye out on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Let me know how it goes (went) if you try it with coconut oil. Thanks for stopping by!

Made this tonight and it was delicious! I used frozen (+thawed) tofu as I’m not a fan of faux chicken and rosemary in place of the tarragon as I didn’t have any in my pantry. The only issue I had was the top was getting brown about 25 mins into baking, so I took it out early. Thank you so much for the recipe!